Is this a good laptop for everyday use and uni work?
So I found this laptop on eBay and was wondering if it is a great deal to use for uni and everyday use. Thanks in advance
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374627564082?hash=item57398afa32:g:VDAAAOSw-f9i-40P&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwJ%2FpYRvW93Mcpb8t1XR%2Ba%2FI%2BJ9XSQTMKyzuZ4KOaOjEUdfBQDcsFrO%2FGja8yb2ZKYvbDbKU%2B5NdoGjfHyqhKgRJpa1WxVyEtipr8tSMVExYTdkButdhwBtgQZjfZ8a1DcvH9OFP45UybCL5S7I%2Fdr5SUImSDn4tTZ8OBqlZnGckssJXMWQ859vpmCYn%2Bc1fSvvvcP7bSlKVi52wKmO2B4ciQUdVTQmzf2fRNTDvCGZO4SIIyhVusNXdmeFa%2BJgMrXw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABlBMUPKyjLzfYg
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374627564082?hash=item57398afa32:g:VDAAAOSw-f9i-40P&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwJ%2FpYRvW93Mcpb8t1XR%2Ba%2FI%2BJ9XSQTMKyzuZ4KOaOjEUdfBQDcsFrO%2FGja8yb2ZKYvbDbKU%2B5NdoGjfHyqhKgRJpa1WxVyEtipr8tSMVExYTdkButdhwBtgQZjfZ8a1DcvH9OFP45UybCL5S7I%2Fdr5SUImSDn4tTZ8OBqlZnGckssJXMWQ859vpmCYn%2Bc1fSvvvcP7bSlKVi52wKmO2B4ciQUdVTQmzf2fRNTDvCGZO4SIIyhVusNXdmeFa%2BJgMrXw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABlBMUPKyjLzfYg
It's an OK deal. But now in September 2023, you can get better deals than that.
EG Dell 5590's with 8th gen CPU's (instead of the 6th gen 5570 from your linked listing).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126123279031?hash=item1d5d8882b7:g
EMAAOSwx3JlGnRE&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwLeCCuBnEXeZ2dAb%2BDSWdHuhbY6WSQkppgzTv3XeNKskBzqQ%2F4DdGyIIi1la%2F%2B9Z8MHvWHYDDPK313Px8m%2BGV7%2FYKikN70F2kN7iArFTYBIqxuji08B6fbc%2BP2VeEPb26M6DebOo1m%2BnWurpqYsDyMJ6SEUI4AQeO3%2FIuvhsMpZXwPTKwvaLhkfD4yiOROzQtJr1%2BSFXvf62%2BvKS0d%2Fh8sxwizlvWH9GhfBfPJXDcuyBJm0o0l3IEr%2BQEZvUYyItbg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8KljcnfYg
8th and 10th gen Intel CPU laptops are so cheap that it makes no sense to buy anything older
15.6" laptops are more mobile workstations than laptops. This makes them great if the laptop will stay on the same desk for most of the year. Or if it will go from your home to your car to your work or study place and back again. IE you're not lugging it round on foot or public transport.
14" and 13.3" laptops are more portable at the expense of smaller screens (and no right hand side number pad on the keyboard which is unimportant for most users). There's some good deals on ebay for Dell Latitude 7390, 7300, 7310, 7490, 7400, 7410 laptops.
You could also look at deals (and reviews of) Dell 5591, 5501, 5511 laptops.
This particular 5511 looks like an attractive deal if you don't mind the ugly patch on the lid where the surface coating has come away (double check with seller that the screen is 1920 and not 1366 resolution as the description is contradictory):
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186070879474?hash=item2b52b04cf2:g:T~0AAOSwQ1hk-0Gt&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwCxEWPRyRBme9PhEgfvqg0aG8qaKMoozb9go5UALsUB1UT03k8OiDrGlCdRJHmfZ7j0Mf4lriLVXBpMiFNn68EuhSsDKdcsqUc2K20jQ5dQq%2B1HlcXgSJ6LzRS0cI843TdxxgWToUM47s%2Fav28lwCfheUqpJ9bFQeTtYoPkRPBk6nA2X2joQwk42z%2F1Dce0KIZQHutTYOLlI5AVmMBmkuX3j3H7NcB2Phf6TCOkKHve8dbwrF1tzq29Dt58JjU1bwA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9DyycvfYg
Dell Business laptops (from the last 7 years) should all come with Windows 10 (or 11) licences built into the motherboard. Any computer with a Windows 10 licence can "upgrade" for free to Windows 11.
I've been using Windows 11 on a Dell 7300 laptop I bought earlier this year for about £150. I dumped Windows a couple of days ago, mainly because of an annoying bug where the laptop wasn't coming out of sleep sometimes. I've installed Debian (linux) with KDE Plasma (desktop environment).
If I didn't know which was which, I'd say that it was Debian-KDE that was the luxury operating system for which you have to pay a £134 premium in order to get. And Windows 11 is the janky, clunky, bug ridden, unreliable, somewhat annoying, freebie software.
Making it a win for linux and a loss for Win 11.
For an average student user it now makes a lot of sense to give Windows the boot and install and use Debian with KDE Plasma instead.
Edit: BTW my Dell 7300 has a 250 GB internal SSD hard drive. I expect it to last me for the next 10 years, with that including it providing ample storage space for my needs. And internal SSD's can always be upgraded to much larger capacities for relatively modest amounts of time and money. Like £44 for 1 tb, £80 for 2tb, £175 for 4tb.
With Debian-KDE installed, my Dell 7300 laptop is stone cold with zero audible fan noise (I think the fan is off) when I'm word processing and doing normal web browsing. It gets warmer when I watch youtube videos, but not so warm that that the fan becomes audible.
EG Dell 5590's with 8th gen CPU's (instead of the 6th gen 5570 from your linked listing).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126123279031?hash=item1d5d8882b7:g
EMAAOSwx3JlGnRE&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwLeCCuBnEXeZ2dAb%2BDSWdHuhbY6WSQkppgzTv3XeNKskBzqQ%2F4DdGyIIi1la%2F%2B9Z8MHvWHYDDPK313Px8m%2BGV7%2FYKikN70F2kN7iArFTYBIqxuji08B6fbc%2BP2VeEPb26M6DebOo1m%2BnWurpqYsDyMJ6SEUI4AQeO3%2FIuvhsMpZXwPTKwvaLhkfD4yiOROzQtJr1%2BSFXvf62%2BvKS0d%2Fh8sxwizlvWH9GhfBfPJXDcuyBJm0o0l3IEr%2BQEZvUYyItbg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8KljcnfYg8th and 10th gen Intel CPU laptops are so cheap that it makes no sense to buy anything older
15.6" laptops are more mobile workstations than laptops. This makes them great if the laptop will stay on the same desk for most of the year. Or if it will go from your home to your car to your work or study place and back again. IE you're not lugging it round on foot or public transport.
14" and 13.3" laptops are more portable at the expense of smaller screens (and no right hand side number pad on the keyboard which is unimportant for most users). There's some good deals on ebay for Dell Latitude 7390, 7300, 7310, 7490, 7400, 7410 laptops.
You could also look at deals (and reviews of) Dell 5591, 5501, 5511 laptops.
This particular 5511 looks like an attractive deal if you don't mind the ugly patch on the lid where the surface coating has come away (double check with seller that the screen is 1920 and not 1366 resolution as the description is contradictory):
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186070879474?hash=item2b52b04cf2:g:T~0AAOSwQ1hk-0Gt&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwCxEWPRyRBme9PhEgfvqg0aG8qaKMoozb9go5UALsUB1UT03k8OiDrGlCdRJHmfZ7j0Mf4lriLVXBpMiFNn68EuhSsDKdcsqUc2K20jQ5dQq%2B1HlcXgSJ6LzRS0cI843TdxxgWToUM47s%2Fav28lwCfheUqpJ9bFQeTtYoPkRPBk6nA2X2joQwk42z%2F1Dce0KIZQHutTYOLlI5AVmMBmkuX3j3H7NcB2Phf6TCOkKHve8dbwrF1tzq29Dt58JjU1bwA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9DyycvfYg
Dell Business laptops (from the last 7 years) should all come with Windows 10 (or 11) licences built into the motherboard. Any computer with a Windows 10 licence can "upgrade" for free to Windows 11.
I've been using Windows 11 on a Dell 7300 laptop I bought earlier this year for about £150. I dumped Windows a couple of days ago, mainly because of an annoying bug where the laptop wasn't coming out of sleep sometimes. I've installed Debian (linux) with KDE Plasma (desktop environment).
If I didn't know which was which, I'd say that it was Debian-KDE that was the luxury operating system for which you have to pay a £134 premium in order to get. And Windows 11 is the janky, clunky, bug ridden, unreliable, somewhat annoying, freebie software.
Making it a win for linux and a loss for Win 11.
For an average student user it now makes a lot of sense to give Windows the boot and install and use Debian with KDE Plasma instead.
Edit: BTW my Dell 7300 has a 250 GB internal SSD hard drive. I expect it to last me for the next 10 years, with that including it providing ample storage space for my needs. And internal SSD's can always be upgraded to much larger capacities for relatively modest amounts of time and money. Like £44 for 1 tb, £80 for 2tb, £175 for 4tb.
With Debian-KDE installed, my Dell 7300 laptop is stone cold with zero audible fan noise (I think the fan is off) when I'm word processing and doing normal web browsing. It gets warmer when I watch youtube videos, but not so warm that that the fan becomes audible.
(edited 6 months ago)
The specs of the laptop at a quick glance seem okay
With this type of laptop the bottoms usually get hot quickly, so you might want to invest in a breathable stand for it so it doesnt burn your legs or overheat
RAM specs and display specs seem decent to me, RAM is good for a laptop (dont expect to be able to play GTA5, or any of the big 5 star games. you'll manage simple games like valorant or minecraft on low specs)
The only part of the specs I'd be concerned about is the main storage (SSD). It is 256gb which is about the same as a mobile phone, as you can imagine this isnt a lot for a bigger laptop. The way to fix this isnt too bad, you'll just need an external SSD drive (40-70 quid maybe??) when the storage runs out (which it probably will after 6 months). You can also keep on top of it by cleaning the system using an app called CCleaner often.
If you're looking at only using it in your uni accomodation and not in class I'd seriously suggest a tower-pc as you can get much better specs for the same money - i respect this isnt possible for everyone though as they need to be able to take it to class!
With this type of laptop the bottoms usually get hot quickly, so you might want to invest in a breathable stand for it so it doesnt burn your legs or overheat
RAM specs and display specs seem decent to me, RAM is good for a laptop (dont expect to be able to play GTA5, or any of the big 5 star games. you'll manage simple games like valorant or minecraft on low specs)
The only part of the specs I'd be concerned about is the main storage (SSD). It is 256gb which is about the same as a mobile phone, as you can imagine this isnt a lot for a bigger laptop. The way to fix this isnt too bad, you'll just need an external SSD drive (40-70 quid maybe??) when the storage runs out (which it probably will after 6 months). You can also keep on top of it by cleaning the system using an app called CCleaner often.
If you're looking at only using it in your uni accomodation and not in class I'd seriously suggest a tower-pc as you can get much better specs for the same money - i respect this isnt possible for everyone though as they need to be able to take it to class!
Original post by Amin7
So I found this laptop on eBay and was wondering if it is a great deal to use for uni and everyday use. Thanks in advance
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374627564082?hash=item57398afa32:g:VDAAAOSw-f9i-40P&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwJ%2FpYRvW93Mcpb8t1XR%2Ba%2FI%2BJ9XSQTMKyzuZ4KOaOjEUdfBQDcsFrO%2FGja8yb2ZKYvbDbKU%2B5NdoGjfHyqhKgRJpa1WxVyEtipr8tSMVExYTdkButdhwBtgQZjfZ8a1DcvH9OFP45UybCL5S7I%2Fdr5SUImSDn4tTZ8OBqlZnGckssJXMWQ859vpmCYn%2Bc1fSvvvcP7bSlKVi52wKmO2B4ciQUdVTQmzf2fRNTDvCGZO4SIIyhVusNXdmeFa%2BJgMrXw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABlBMUPKyjLzfYg
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374627564082?hash=item57398afa32:g:VDAAAOSw-f9i-40P&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwJ%2FpYRvW93Mcpb8t1XR%2Ba%2FI%2BJ9XSQTMKyzuZ4KOaOjEUdfBQDcsFrO%2FGja8yb2ZKYvbDbKU%2B5NdoGjfHyqhKgRJpa1WxVyEtipr8tSMVExYTdkButdhwBtgQZjfZ8a1DcvH9OFP45UybCL5S7I%2Fdr5SUImSDn4tTZ8OBqlZnGckssJXMWQ859vpmCYn%2Bc1fSvvvcP7bSlKVi52wKmO2B4ciQUdVTQmzf2fRNTDvCGZO4SIIyhVusNXdmeFa%2BJgMrXw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABlBMUPKyjLzfYg
I don’t mean to be rude but why don’t you buy a brand new one because all the specs will be new and stuff
Original post by michaela001
I don’t mean to be rude but why don’t you buy a brand new one because all the specs will be new and stuff
Price.
It would be a waste of money for Amin7 to spend more than £150 on a laptop.
I've covered this in some detail on other threads on this section of the forum.
The specs of the laptops I mentioned in my previous would be fantastic for Amin7's needs.
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